Clutch cable problems (tech help please)

[NotOrange...]

okay, I'll try to make this short.
Had the car 6 months, problems with about 3 of them. clutch fine for 3 months. Then it stretched out (adjuctable cable). Tried to fit oem cable but it was too short. adjusted regular cable.... lasted 2 months.
Same problem again, so I got a bbk cable... and it stretched out after about 2 days, from advice of others I changed the clutch. I bought a centerforce dual friction and put it in. There was a full out racing clutch in there, I forget the brand. The cable lasted another 1/2 day until it started stretching. I got the car towed to the dealer. The foreman has been trying to figure it out and has no idea other then installing new oem clutch, flywheel, cable, quadrant, clutchfork, and the ball. (I know he's not trying to screw me either because he's been trying to figure it out for a week and has only charged me 1/2 hour)

So....



What would cause this:
Lots of pedal effort.
Stetching cables very quickly.
very high pedal. (maybe 2-3 inches over the brake)
Cable not long enough to put on clutch fork.

I have done:
new clutch
new bbk cable and quad. (want oem but it's too short with this issue)

I know the cable is routed properly. I made sure it's through the motor mount.
I know the clutch fork moves freely on the bearing and shaft, but I don't know if it's bent (anyone have a pic??)
and the pivot ball ( I think it's called) would a worn one cause this? it did move freely as well.

What else could there be?

I'm out of ideas so please help me.

If you need more info to help me out let me know...

 

[006]

Do you have a firewall adjuster?

If not, then that is your problem. You need one with an aftermarket quadrant.

 

[01yellercobra]

It sounds like something with the clutch fork isn't set up right. I'm running a stock cable with no problems. You did take off the rubber bushing before trying to put the cable on with the aftermarket quadrant right?

 

[NotOrange...]

I do not have a firewall adjuster. I did have it without one for 3 months and it was fine. Although I think I will be picking one up.

I also think something is fishy with the clutch fork. and I'm not sure which rubber bushing you're refering to, although when I had tried to put the oem clutch cable in I had to pry the clutch fork all the way forward to get it on and I had no clutch. I was doing a brake stand with the clutch all the way up.

 

[01yellercobra]

I was thinking you had a firewall adjuster. If you use a firewall adjuster you need to remove the rubber bushing on the end of clutch cable. The firewall adjuster basically goes in place of that bushing.

 

[SnakeBit]

With a quadrant but no firewall adjuster, you have no chance of ever being adjusted. The 2 pieces work together. If you put on an adjustable cable, you will have some chance of adjusting, but to compensate for any wear, you'll need to crawl under the car and adjust it on a regular basis. Besides, most adjustable cables won't hold up. The sheath will collapse or the cable will chafe and break. The OEM cable needs to be slightly modified.

You can go to the Maximum Motorstorts site, click on "Installation Instructions", then MMCL-3 under "Drivetrain & Clutch Components" to see some detailed pictures on the oem cable modifications needed.

Or, you can download the following PDF document
http://www.competitionspeedandsound.com/03_04 Cobra Quadrant_Firewall Instructions.pdf

Both have pictures showing the modification at the firewall end, BUT you'll need a firewall adjuster for this. I recommend the Fiore (you can get it at Lethal Performance).

Good luck

 

[NotOrange...]

Thanks for the help guys. Ford is trying a few more things including a stock quadrant and cable to see if things get a little better, if not I'm going back to complete stock other then the clutch. (which is what I want so I can start modding my own way).

 

[NotOrange...]

just a small update on this...

it ended up being the clutch fork being bent. I couldn't tell that it was bent because I had nothing to compare it to, and it didn't seem bent to the naked eye. Was well the pivot ball wasn't in the best of shape. The flywheel had been machined out 3 times and was now too machined, and the cable was (obviously) stretched out.

I should be driving her again tomorrow afternoon.

 

[tmhutch]

Glad you got it figured out. Thanks for the update. Useful information!

 

[01yellercobra]

Glad you got it figured out.

 

[yeller1]

It's nice to see solutions are posted. Good luck bro....

 

[NotOrange...]

thanks for the gladness vote everyone!! It is so much easier to push the clutch pedal down... like night and day!!